Basketball tipped off last Tuesday night in Colusa as the RedHawks swept visiting Gridley in a four-game marathon which included both JV and varsity girls and boys games.
Beginning with the under card, the RedHawks set the tone for the night, as the JV girls overwhelmed the Bulldogs 57-15 while the JV boys followed suit, posting a 59-25 victory.
Yet, it was the varsity contests that really got the crowd inside Don Bransford Gymnasium fired up as the girls staged a third quarter rally, then held on for the 37-36 win, before the boys turned in a dominant first half to triumph 59-41.
In the girl’s game, Colusa applied early full court defensive pressure, but Gridley surged ahead, shooting a better percentage from the floor, as well as at the line to take a four point lead at halftime.
However, the RedHawks changed the momentum in the third quarter after Holley Hickel drained a three, and although the Bulldogs tied the score on their ensuing possession, two breakaway layups by Abby Myers allowed Colusa to take a 28-24 lead after three quarters of play.
Head coach Jim Pingrey felt that this was the turning point in the game, as Colusa “turned a four point deficit into a four point lead.”
Although Colusa outscored the Bulldogs 23-18 after intermission, Gridley had a chance to win it outright in the game’s final seconds, but the RedHawk defense did its job and preserved the hard fought victory.
It was a nice start to the season for Colusa, whose three returners, Hickel, Myers, and Reese Roper, led the way, as Myers finished with a game high 16 points. Roper added nine points and Hickel pitched in with five.
Pingrey credited the play of Myers, who remained on the court for the game’s entirety, as being integral to the win, and also pointed to the defensive performance of Jessica Deniz, who filled in for Roper, due to the latter being saddled with foul trouble.
Feeding off the energy from the finish to the girls’ game, the RedHawk boys came out like a house afire, using their characteristic high-intensity pressure to prevent the Bulldogs from establishing any rhythm whatsoever, which was exactly what head coach Brian Davis had hoped to see.
“I love the effort we displayed,” Davis said. “Our guys played tenacious defense with Nick Price at the head. Nick played all out, and it paid major dividends as the squad matched his intensity. Our vets like Ethan Lay, Emmanuel Frias, and JoJo Luna stayed steady and that allowed our two rookies, Landon Humphrey and Nicko Mata, to play within themselves, and that’s priceless at the varsity level. I’m excited for our guys to be back on the floor and beyond excited to have our RedHawk fans being such a force as well.”
Price poured in a game high 21 points, with Luna dropping in 14.
Both RedHawk teams are busy this week, which started with the girls hosting Central Valley on Monday, before beginning play at their Jim Ernst Varsity Classic on Thursday, while the boys traveled to Arbuckle for the Pierce Tournament on Dec. 1. ■